For the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, which gets underway at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday, December 26, Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, has announced an unchanged starting lineup. Scott Boland, a local, will not get the chance to try his luck against the visitors in front of his home audience due to Cummins’ announcement.
Boland remembers the MCG with nostalgia. The 34-year-old bowler caused a great deal of sweating among the England batsmen when he took 6/7 in the second innings of his first-ever Test match at the MCG, venue of the 2021/22 Ashes. However, he has mainly been warming the bench ever then, watching as Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Aaron Cummins exploit a variety of opponents.
Despite their admiration for Scotty (Boland), Cummins stated that the Australian team does not have a spot for him in the starting lineup for the second Test of the Australian summer. Though the chance to play in the starting lineup could arise at any time, the Australian captain wants him to be prepared for upcoming assignments.
“I don’t think that’s a secret, we’re huge fans of Scotty,” Cummins was cited by Cricket.com.au.
It’s quite uncommon to play seven Test matches with the same (quick) bowling lineup; niggles and other issues always crop up.
“He’s prepared to go in case something comes up, so I’m confident he’ll have a role eventually.
“The message (to Boland) is always ‘we love what you’re brining, unfortunately you miss out on this one but don’t change … and stay ready’.”
Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain of Pakistan, will not be included in the starting XI for the Boxing Day Test at “The G”. The tourists have named a roster of 12 players for the second Test; although they haven’t revealed their starting XI, the list indicates that Mohammad Rizwan has replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed and is most likely to take the wicketkeeping gloves. At the toss, captain Shan Masood will declare the starting eleven.
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